Married lesbian couples in the city can now be listed as parents on their children’s birth certificates.

The city Board of Health voted in favor of the change yesterday.

Previously, women would have to go through an adoption process to be listed as the official parents.

The
state made a similar move in December, after a court ruling and an
order from Governor David Paterson that state agencies respect
out-of-state gay marriages. But the city DOH operates independently of
the state, and made its own decision.

Married male couples still will need to adopt their children in order to be officially listed as their parents.

New York does not permit same-sex couples to marry, so the reference is to couples married in other states or Canada.